1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a liquid detergent composition, and more particularly to a liquid detergent composition which is suitable for cleansing the skin and the hair, has good foamability, gives users a pleasant feel upon use, is stable and applicable to finger-push type pump containers.
2. Discussion of the Background
Among liquid detergent compositions which are applied to the body, shampoos for the hair have conventionally been widely used. Recently, liquid body shampoos have become familiar to users instead of soaps because of their properties of agreeable touch and ease of use.
As a component of detergent compositions, phosphate surfactants, which are classified as anionic surfactants, are used because they are mild to the hair and the skin. Among these phosphate surfactants, alkali metal salts of the surfactants have a high Krafft point, and are difficult to liquefy. This drawback has been overcome by converting the surfactants into alkanolamine salts to lower the Krafft point and to liquefy them. However, when converted into alkanolamine salts, foam producing ability (hereinafter referred to as foamability) is significantly deteriorated, which has left much room for improvements to provide satisfactory surfactant components for detergents.
Furthermore, phosphate surfactants as a component of detergent compositions give disagreeable rough and frictional feel when used with hard water.
Moreover, when a liquid detergent composition containing an alkanolamine salt of a phosphate surfactant is charged into a finger-push type pump container and used repeatedly, the gelled or solidified composition plugs the nozzle of the container, causing objectionable appearance and ejection of the composition in a wrong direction upon use.